Abstract

This research study explores the levels of preparedness and comfort for meeting the needs of children in foster care amongst Masters of Social Work (MSW) students at the California State University, Sacramento. A comparative analyses of Title IV-E and non Title IV-E cohorts of second year MSW students guided this research study, a total of 30 students were surveyed. The design of this study is an exploratory quantitative cross-sectional survey research that utilized a static group comparison. The sampling method was a non-probability available subjects sample. Two-thirds of the Title IV-E students were in agreement that their Masters of Social Work courses adequately prepared them for working in the foster care field while nearly all of the non Title IV-E students disagreed with the same statement; this association was statistically significant in the chi-square test. Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.